In a milestone decision proposed by majority leader Harry Reid, the US Senate voted today to remove the use of filibuster for presidential nominees, except for nominees to the US Supreme Court. The 52-48 vote comes off the heels of three Republican filibusters of President Obama's nominees to the US Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. This is a drastic change to Senate procedure, and gives substantially more power to the majority party in the Senate, especially if the majority party is the same as the party of the President, as is currently the case. The new rule has the potential to significantly affect the power of the checks and balances system, both within the Senate and between the legislative and executive branches. You can see a full Politico article here.
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